BRIGHOUSE Town kick off their Northern Premier League campaign today at home to Dunston UTS FC and excitement is building around the Yorkshire Payments Stadium.

After a fairly stop start Covid stricken campaign in the previous year, it will see the return of competitive action and Brighouse's young side will be aiming high.

Pre-season saw Town compete in a compact pre-season schedule- which included an eye-catching fixture against League 2 opposition Bradford City, where they were edged 3-1.

May also saw Brighouse take part in an end of season tournament called the Yorkshire Trophy, however the new season has come around quickly and manager Vill Powell is eager to get going.

He said: "It's been hard really because we've had the best part of nine months without competitive football.

"Going into the game this weekend, it's all about getting back into the swing of things and getting back into what will hopefully be a full season.

"We will be doing our best to get the team prepared as possible for the season and we are all really excited about getting going again.

"It has been a very difficult period for all non-league clubs whether it's survival, staying afloat and keeping the lights on.

"They're the kinds of questions we've had to answer as a club over the last 18 months so getting back to regular football, with fans returning and getting a regular income again is pivotal for a club like Brighouse."

The anticipation is there for all involved with Brighouse Town going into their curtain-raiser with Dunston, however Powell is under no illusion of the task his side will face.

He said: "The Dunston game will be a very tough fixture. I'm sure they'll be right up there next season.

"They already had a lot of quality in their side but they've strengthened even further in the window. We played them last season before the league was curtailed and they were an impressive side. Going forward they caused us a lot of problems and I expect them to be even better than last season so we certainly need to be on our A- game.

"But don't get me wrong, the first fixtures are always tough because teams have a point to prove and want to get off to a good start so I'm expecting a tough test against one of the top teams in the division."

When questioned, Powell also expressed his delight with the club's transfer business ahead of the new campaign.

He said: "We've made a few good additions, including Marshall Getty and Alex O'Connor and we will potentially be announcing a couple more over the next month. We've brought a really good mix of potential and experience through the door so I'm very pleased with the additions that we've made."

Elsewhere, Liversedge start their campign off with an away fixture at Lincon United FC, Thackley host Grimsby Borough, Eccleshill host Maltby Main, Albion Sports take on Garforth Town at home, Silsden travel to Bottesford Town, Steeton host Golcar United.

All those fixtures will take place today, (3:00 pm).

Campion travel to Bury on Sunday in the North West Counties Division.